Anatomy of a Potluck Party

By Keith Fisher

Did you ever have a DOG? No, I’m not talking about eating dogs. DOG is an acronym for Dutch Oven Gathering. It’s a phrase adopted by Dutch oven cooks, and is widely used in those circles.

You'd never know it since the temperatures have been so cool, but with the passing of Memorial Day, summer is upon us. Time to start thinking of backyard parties and camping trips. I’m sure you know how to throw a dinner party, but let me talk you into a special kind.

For my wife’s birthday a few years ago, I planned an event. I was into a Dutch oven hobby. I wanted to cook, but I didn’t want to cook all the food. The solution of course, was the proverbial potluck party. Not just any banquet though, I wanted to have a Dutch oven affair. I knew some of my relatives and friends cook in Dutch ovens and I wanted to cook with them.

It was fun. The dinner was delicious, and I learned a few things that I’d like to share with you.

• Secure a place to hold it---Backyard or park pavilion?
  
• Plan ahead---Will you need an extra Dutch oven table?
  Access to restrooms? Perhaps you will need a source of water?
  
• Send an invitation. Mine said: Come and cook in your Dutch oven or
  bring your favorite potluck dish. List cooking times and eating times.
  Emphasize the relaxed atmosphere.
  
• Plan what you are going to cook.
  

This might seem simplistic, but so is Dutch oven cooking. When I held the birthday party I mentioned, one of my friends came by and watched my preparations. I started cooking a 12-pound turkey and he shook his head.

"It’s amazing," he said.
I looked up from placing coals on the lid. "What is?" I asked.
"It’s amazing you can cook something that big, with only a few coals."
I grinned and sat in my lawn chair. "Yes, it is, and you can kick back and relax while you do it."

One more thing to note, If you happen to be involved in Dutch oven cooking competitions, and your guests know it, tell them you are cooking something simple. For some reason your guests will tend to shy away from cooking around you. Help them relax and have fun.

When the big day comes, put your feet up, have fun talking with your guests. You might find they’re interesting people. Then, when it’s time to eat, enjoy the smiles and the compliments.

Return to the Neighborhood.

Whenever the Rooster Crows

By Keith Fisher

Before we know it, we’ll be in the middle of the patriotic season. Inevitably, we’ll have the opportunity to cook or attend one of the many fund raising breakfasts offered on those holidays. Since my blog is dedicated to out-door cooking not just Dutch oven, let’s talk about breakfast in Camp.

When I was a kid I remember waking up during camping trips and watching my grandfather make breakfast. He loved to cook in the mountains and he designated himself camp cook. His pancakes from scratch were the best, and he could flip an egg with finesse.

Grandpa is gone now, and because of my Dutch oven hobby, I have assumed the title. I love getting up early and watching the sunrise as I flip waffles cooked on top of my propane stove. "Did he say waffles?" you ask. Yes I said waffles and they are delicious. You’d be surprised how thrilling it is to serve waffles to campers who are expecting the old standard, pancakes, for breakfast.

According to Wikipedia, Waffle irons were brought to America in the 1620s. In 1869, Cornelius Swarthout patented the first U.S waffle iron. This iron sat atop wood or gas stoves. A hinge that swiveled joined the cast iron plates in a cast iron collar. A few years ago, one of the Utah based distributors commissioned a casting company to make a copy of the originals. As you can see it has wood handles but the pivots are the same. I got one, and after a lot of seasoning I found it very relaxing. You can find one of these irons here

The way it works is this: place it on the stove. Mix up your pancake mix. Turn on the burner when it heats up turn it over and heat the other side. Then spoon the batter onto the bottom and close it up. When your waffle is cooked on one side, turn it over and cook the other side.

Tips:

• Lower the stovetop so you can work sitting down. Set the bowl and utensils next you so you can remain sitting.
  
• Seasoning is not enough. It helps to spray the iron before each waffle with cooking spray.
  
• You will destroy a few waffles until you get the hang of it.
  
• Cooking times will vary and the amount of fire will also, depends on altitude and experience.

When you get the knack you will look like a laid back, happy go lucky kind of guy. In other words everyone’s hero. Serve these with your favorite topping. I love strawberries in sauce. Serve with melon chunks and scrambled eggs.

Good luck and enjoy the holiday.

Return to the Neighborhood.

Basic 101—Equipment List

By Keith Fisher

Last time, we had a more advanced topic. This time, let’s get back to the basics. As you begin your camp cooking career, you’ll discover a need for more specialized equipment. You might start using things outdoors, you would never need indoors.

Many cooks have published lists over the years. After glancing at most of them I discovered one cook's essential list is different than others. Some cooks buy fancy gadgets while others raid toolboxes and comb thrift stores. Some manufacture their own equipment, others purchase everything. Whatever your preference, I will try to list the basics and talk a little about some items.

There are three factors you must consider when finding needed tools. The first is handling HOT coals, second is handing HOT Dutch ovens, and third is handling HOT food. The operative word is HOT, and it should always be remembered. In the past camp cooks used a shovel to move coals from the fire to the pot, a forked stick to open the lid, another stick to stir with, and the ground to cook on. In our day, things have gotten a bit more sophisticated.

Today we can use Charcoal briquets, move them with a fireplace shovel, and place them with barbecue tongs. Many commercial lid lifters are available, but other tools can perform this function: pliers, a claw hammer, or bent re-bar. You could even use a forked stick, but my recommendation is the Mair Lid Lifter. As you can see from the picture, this tool not only lifts a lid but it provides positive pressure so the lid won’t tip unless you want it to, very important when you are moving a lid with HOT coals on it.

Our ancestors most likely found a flat rock to set a HOT lid on while stirring or adding ingredients. We don’t need to worry about dirt and other debris because we have lid holders that are inexpensive. Even if you don’t have the money you can fashion them out of anything. Many clever cooks weld three horseshoes together in a ring and attach nails for a base.

One of the most important things you WILL need is a stout pair of leather gloves. This is a tool we share with our ancestors, but keep in mind you can still get burned even through leather. THe gloves should be loose fitting so you can shake them off your hand in a hurry (without using another hand). Always assume an oven is HOT and don’t pick it up without your gloves.

Of course you will need good utensils (stirring and dipping spoons). Remember the seasoning can be scraped off with a metal tool. But it’s your oven, you treat it how you want.

We’ve talked about three factors that dictate why tools are needed, but we’ve only touched the surface. There are many more convenient gadgets to make or purchase. Remember why you chose to cook outdoors. If it isn’t fun, don’t do it, and fancy tools can help make it fun. Like Tim Allen said in the TV show, "Gotta have more tools."

We’ll talk about different tools and their uses in future blogs, but for now I’m going to list a few.

• Dutch oven table—cook off the ground
  



• Chimney charcoal starter
  



• Propane charcoal starter
  



• Whisk broom
  



• Wind protection
  



• Ash bucket
  



• Channel lock pliers—saves on burned gloves when picking up charcoal starter.
  



• Sharp Knife, can opener, and paper towels.
  

As I said above, I will talk more on this subject in later blogs. Meanwhile, I have attached another easy recipe. Good luck and enjoy.

"Dutch" Toast
by Keith Fisher

12-inch Dutch oven
2 pkgs. Pork Sausage
(Jimmy Dean Reg.)
1 dozen large eggs
5 slices bread

In a 12 inch Dutch oven with bottom heat. Brown the sausage. Meanwhile; scramble 11 eggs in a bowl, set aside. Drain sausage and set aside for a moment. Arrange bread slices in the oven and sprinkle the sausage pieces on the bread. Pour the eggs over all, covering the bread. open the last egg and put it in the center. Bake with 9 coals on the bottom and 15 on the top. The dish is done when the egg in the center is done. Cut into wedges and serve with syrup or without.

Return to the
Neighborhood.

Turning up the Heat

The newsman said it’s a red air quality day on the Wasatch Front in Utah. In the winter they call this a no burn day. It’s only a matter of time before the officials declare fire restrictions, so let’s talk about heat sources.

Traditionally, the only heat source for outdoor cooking was the coals from a wood fire. Of course charcoal, buffalo chips, and cowpies were used, but Charcoal had to be made and transported. Buffalo chips . . . well I don’t want to think about buffalo chips except to say, I’ve heard they burn too hot, making it difficult to control the heat.

We have charcoal briquets thanks to Henry Ford. I understand he needed a way to turn a profit on scrap lumber not used in making the Model "T" automobile. He ground charcoal into powder, added binders and pressed it into the pillow shaped Briquets we use today.

Briquets on Dutch ovens make cooking easy—just count coals. But how many should we use? There are many methods to determine this, but I have developed what I call the 325-degree/three-coal rule. It’s not rocket science, but it’s a good rule of thumb.

First, you need to realize the number on the lid of most Dutch ovens represents the inside Diameter of the pot. This is important because most recipes refer to this number.

In the rule, you start with the number then subtract 3 from the diameter and place that number of coals on the bottom. Now add 3 to the diameter and apply that number to the top. This will produce a 325-degree temperature in your oven. So, for a 12-inch diameter, we use 9 coals on the bottom and 15 on top. (This is a general-purpose oven. Or an oven that you can cook most things in.)

Then, for every two coals added or subtracted, the temperature is raised or lowered 25-degrees. Remember it’s three, two, and twenty-five or the 325-degree/three-coal rule.

One of the most asked questions about Dutch ovens is where to place the coals. I attached a chart below.

So how do we cook during fire restrictions?

My first answer would be propane. Most park rangers don’t restrict it, and you can cook many fine dishes on top of a stove, even inside a propane grill. Be careful though, the heat source is usually concentrated in one area. The hot spot created must be watched or your food will burn.

You can avoid this by using a steel plate heat diffuser. Really nothing more than a flat piece of steel with a few holes in various places, it deflects the heat and spreads it over the whole surface.

What about baking?

The Grill I mentioned above can be helpful. Basically, you place your oven inside an oven. The grill, however, is heavy and difficult to take on the road.

A few years ago, a man named Nick Manos invented a gadget called the Dutch cap. It was nothing more than a tube of steel with the top closed in. Vent holes were drilled into the lid. The apparatus trapped the heat from a propane stove, creating an oven enclosure. Nick is gone now, and I don’t think these are still being made. The Dutch cap had a thermometer attached, but the one you make needn’t be so elaborate. Keep in mind the diffuser mentioned above, would be needed.

There is another method called cooking with two lids, but it’s a little work. Put your pot in the propane burner. Use another burner to heat a lid then place it on the pot. When the lid cools down, place the second lid on the oven, while re-heating the first lid. Keep changing the lids until you are finished baking. This method burns the seasoning off so you may need to re-season.

We can’t continue without taking a moment to talk about the most important rule of thumb. Whatever the heat source, it’s HOT! You will get serious burns if you’re not careful. Also, mankind likes to think we have mastered fire, but like a maniacal killer it lies in wait. Hoping for a careless person to do something stupid. Please be careful.

Hope you enjoy.

Return to the Neighborhood.

So, You've got a New Dutch Oven, What Now?

Take it out of the box. It won't do any good unless you use it, but remember it’s your pot, use it how you want. There are as many ways of seasoning as there are cooks, this is just one way.

All new cast iron comes with a protective wax coating. It’s designed to protect against rust while the oven is sitting in a warehouse somewhere.

Note: These days, most Dutch ovens have been pre-seasoned at the factory but since yours has probably been in storage, in the box, for many years, you will need to know this. No seasoning is forever, however, so you will need this even with a new Dutch oven.

Remove the wax by scrubbing with soap and hot water. (This should be the last time you will ever need to use soap on your Dutch oven.) If you think the coating is off, scrub it again. When you’ve really got the coating off, make sure your oven is completely dry.

Next, you will need to cover all edges with vegetable oil. Cast Iron is a porous material and heating it opens the pores. (Your purpose is to fill the pores of the cast iron with some kind of carbonized material.)

Place the oven upside down on the bottom rack in your oven. Place the lid, inside down on the top rack. Set your oven temperature at 400 degrees F

Note: This process will cause smoke, you will need ventilation. It’s best to use an oven with a vent blower or an outdoor barbecue.

About 90 minutes later remove the pot and turn it over. Use gloves for heat protection. Swab oil back onto all surfaces of the oven. Do the same with the lid and replace the pot, and the lid in the oven. 30 minutes later, turn off the oven, and let the cast iron cool gradually.

Now, You have opened the natural pours in the cast iron and filled them up with carbonized material (Oil). Your pot has a semi, non-stick surface and will stay that way if you protect it. Your Dutch oven is ready to use.

If for any reason, the surface is lost, just start over and season again.

To clean, wipe out your oven when possible, and don't use abrasives.

Cautions:

• Don't overheat your oven.
  


• Don't use too much oil. If your finger leaves a mark when you wipe the surface you used too much oil.
  


• If the surface is smooth and shinny, you won't need to put oil on it, the seasoning is fine. That being said, you will still need to protect against moisture during storage and a coat of oil for long storage periods is always a good idea.
  


• If the oven smells rancid due to long storage, heat it to 325 degrees to kill possible food born illness, let it cool, clean it out (for taste) and start cooking. There is no magic when it comes to using Dutch ovens. Just start cooking.
  

Next time, we’ll talk about tools and heat sources. But if you’re brave, try the attached baked bean recipe. Clean your pot with hot water. Check the seasoning and re-oil if needed. Good luck and good eating.

Easy Baked Beans
By Keith Fisher
12 inch deep Dutch oven (can be made in a shallow)

2 lb. Ground beef (drained)
1 lb. Bacon (Drained)
1 lrg. red bell pepper
1 lrg. green bell pepper
1 lrg. Onion
1 32 oz can pork & Beans
1 16 oz can red kidney beans
1 16 oz can garbanza beans
1 18 oz bottle BBQ sauce
Brown sugar to taste

Brown and drain hamburger, set aside. Brown and drain bacon, set aside. Dice peppers and Onions and sauté in a 12-inch Dutch oven with a little oil until clear. Drain beans and place with meat into the oven and stir. Stir in BBQ sauce and brown sugar to taste. Bake for approximately. 1 hour with 10 coals on the bottom and 15 on top stirring occasionally.

Return to the Neighborhood.

New Cook in Camp

I have been asked to blog for the YourLDSNeighborhood.com site. I will be blogging twice a week on the subject of outdoor and camp cooking, With emphasis on Dutch oven and cast iron.

A few years ago, a major cast iron cookware manufacturer said. There are more Dutch ovens sold within three hundred miles of Salt Lake City than anywhere else in the world. Why here, where are those Dutch ovens?

I think a large portion is being stored with all the seasonal and camping equipment. They get hauled out to warm up cans of stew or chili on the deer hunt. A few get used to make biscuits while camping, but I believe the majority are still in the box in food storage lockers, waiting for the day when the power goes out and the gas gets shut off.

There’s nothing wrong with that but wouldn’t it be easier if you were already familiar with your cooking appliance? In this blog I hope to show you how to use your Dutch oven and enjoy the smiles on the faces of your guests and campmates. In the process we may learn some things about throwing back yard and block parties that will make you a hero in your block or family.

I love to cook outdoors and I hope to transplant that love into your hearts. Stop by often. Put your feet up, dinners ready.